What Tequila do you recommend?

I enjoy a good tequila now and then, both in margaritas and straight. Yes, straight. A good tequila can be sipped just like a fine bourbon.

It so happens that I am a fan of Herradura, specifically their reposado, so I noticed with interest the news that Brown-Forman has acquired the company, which also makes the El Jimador brand.

In another thread where this came up, WKU88 recommended Cuervo Gran Reserva. ("It may be the best tequila ever. It is expensive, though.") As well as Cuervo Traditional and Sauza Hornitos, which are reposados, and Cuervo 1800, an anejo.

I personally like Cuzano Rojo Mescal. It has a butterscotch taste and goes down well straight. I never mix this stuff. One time while in the Sam's Club in Cancun, one of the natives referred to it as "rat poison". Seems Mescal is a little too strong for them. They prefer the clear tequilas.
Joe

I enjoy a good tequila now and then, both in margaritas and straight. Yes, straight. A good tequila can be sipped just like a fine bourbon.

It so happens that I am a fan of Herradura, specifically their reposado, so I noticed with interest the news that Brown-Forman has acquired the company, which also makes the El Jimador brand.

In another thread where this came up, WKU88 recommended Cuervo Gran Reserva. ("It may be the best tequila ever. It is expensive, though.") As well as Cuervo Traditional and Sauza Hornitos, which are reposados, and Cuervo 1800, an anejo.

So, what do you like in a tequila, either for sipping or mixing?

With your bourbon tastes as also in mine you should prefer an aņejo. The aņejos are not usually preferred for margaritas and most recommend a blanco. Lately I have been using 1800 reposado for my margaritas. The Tequila drinkers usually use what they don't want to drink neat [their mistakes] in their Margaritas. For sipping tequila I would suggest El Tesoro aņejo as my first choice and Tonala 'Suprema # 4' Anejo Tequila' which you can get at Binny's. Tonala has been my favorite mid level Tequila for quite a while. I have been a Tequila drinker quite a while now and switch between that and bourbon about half and half. Whatever you decide to try make sure it is 100% agave.

I have 3 favorites, all for sipping: 1)Sauza Triada Anejo (Only problem is I haven't seen it for a couple of years now) 2) Cielo Reposado. Had this at our sast annual Cinco de Mayo party, and it was a huge hit. 3) Herradura Reposado (A regular at the party, since Chuck's rec a couple of years ago)

Tequila choice depends on whether you are drinking it straight or in a Margarita. If straight, you want something aged. I prefer El Tesoro aņejo. If you want to drop $100, try El Tesoro Paradiso. It is cognac barreled and very elegant. If making a drink, you want it unaged to get a full, fresh flavor. I recommend El Tesoro Platinum or Sausa Hornitos.

For a good Margarita you MUST use fresh squeezed lime juice and Cointreau.

Limes vary in sweet/tart profile with every batch. About twice a year you will get a batch of limes that are absolutely perfect. On those occations, make the Margarita with El Tesroro Paradiso (or the best aged Tequila you've got) and the result is simply spectacular.

Is there anyway to know except to find the words, 100% Agave on the label somewhere? Are there any one hundred percenters out there that are not labled as such?

Ed

It will always say 100% if it is. If it isn't it won't say anything. If it is not 100% it is what is called a mixto. Even mixtos have to have at least 51% Agave and the rest of the alcohol is usually made from sugar of some kind. Most of Sausa choices are mixtos and you wont find a veteran Tequila drinker drinking any Tequila from Sausa. Cuervo also has mostly mixtos but has one 100% that is very good [Cuervo Reserva de la Familia]. It is of course rather expensive at around $80. There are some excellent Tequilas in the $30 to $50 range. I have tried maybe around 125 different ones and like many different ones. There are also some dogs out there but thats what comes with experimenting with different Tequilas. Also different people have different tastes so find the ones you like. I think if you don't like El Tesoro Blanco, Reposado, or A&#241;ejo you probably wont like Tequila.

Herradura Reposado (A regular at the party, since Chuck's rec a couple of years ago)

So that's why I have a bottle of that. I was rearranging things recently and came across this bottling. I vaguely recalled buying it, perhaps in Houston a couple of years ago, but I couldn't remember why. Normally I buy tequila only to make Margaritas for guests, and I stick with whatever I can get at COSTCO.

Now that I no longer recall how much the HR cost, I think I'll put it in the regular rotation for sipping.

Chuck....I'm with you on the Herradura Reposado, as we've both posted here numerous times that its a good one. My mother doesn't drink much, but when we take her out for dinner, she has me order her a Margarita made with that "good tequila".....Herradura Reposado.

Another fave is made just north of PV....called Leyva. Aged for three months, more or less, in oak barrels. The pinas are still cooked in a outdoor dugout pit and fermented in open topped barrels. A garden hose provides the water for condensing off of the still. As simple a distillation process as I've ever seen. It can't be called tequila as its made in the state of Nayarit. Look for it if you ever make it to PV.